Is "quiet quitting" helping employees find a better work-life balance?

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**Bababam** (0:51)
Do you really know? Bababam's daily podcast helps you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. This week, we're looking at 10 words and phrases that have been on everyone's lips in 2022 From the Uber files leak to shrink-flation in stores, or quiet quitting at work. Refresh your memory on some of the events and phenomena that best sum up the year gone by.
Is quiet quitting helping employees find a better work-life balance?
Thanks for asking.
On this podcast, we've talked about a lot of factors affecting young workers and their mental health in recent times. It's pretty well established that the COVID pandemic was a game-changer, and that flexible working models became the norm, and everybody started reassessing their priorities in life. So many young people have been rejecting hustle culture, which puts work at the center of a person's life and can lead to burnout. We've seen the Big Quit, also known as the Great Resignation, and the Tang Ping Movement in China too. And quiet quitting is not dissimilar. The trend has been getting a lot of attention of late. Is that like slipping out the back door? Contrary to what you might think, it doesn't actually consist of quitting one's job, at least not in the short term. It's more about slowly withdrawing from overworking when it becomes apparent you're being undervalued. It's sticking to your contract hours, job description and nothing more. So after hours work emergencies or checking emails on weekends are a thing of the past. Online discussions of quiet quitting really began in July 2022, when American TikTok user Zed Leplin posted a 20 second video of himself talking about it.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:41)
You're still performing your duties, but you're no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life. The reality is it's not and your worth as a person is not defined by your labour.

**Bababam** (2:51)
Many people could relate to what the poster was saying. At the time of recording, the clip has been liked nearly 500,000 times.
Clearly a lot of people out there feel like the extra hours and effort they're putting into work aren't being recognised or fairly compensated. Is quiet quitting a good thing?
Not overworking is sensible for a variety of reasons. One major advantage is of course that people are able to have a better work-life balance, which can really help with stress management and mental health generally. Not to mention having more time to spend with family and friends. But still quiet quitting has its detractors. Some people have questioned how you can actually progress in your career with a do the bare minimum mentality. American workplace decorum expert Patty Sae told the BBC that advancement and pay increases will go to those whose level of effort warrants advancement, and doing the bare minimum certainly does not. The self-styled Duchess of Decorum has also weighed in on the quiet quitting debate on TikTok, where she has a significant following.

**SPEAKER_5** (3:58)
These people that are quiet quitting are the same people that are complaining that, oh my god, I don't make enough money to buy a house or a car or whatever. And you know why? Because you're not working hard, and if you don't work hard, you're not going to be rewarded, because the universe only rewards hustlers.

**Bababam** (4:13)
Ultimately, it's up to each individual to assess how bearable or worthwhile their job is. If it's making you miserable all or even some of the time, you probably want to get out of there quickly. Quiet quitting can end up being a drawn out process, potentially leading to some tension between you and the powers that be if they feel you're not putting enough effort in. If you're feeling dissatisfied at work, it's probably best to at least try having a frank conversation with your boss about the reasons why before resorting to quiet quitting. But in some situations, it might help you find a better work-life balance before gradually moving on to pastures new when the time is right.